When you need me most
by AllyBethie
Summary: Chibi Turtles! Mikey becomes seriously ill after following Raph to go enjoy the late night rain. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Chibi Turtle story! Well, welcome to my first fic. I don't know, I guess after reading about it for a while now, I just wanted to attempt an actually fan fiction, and I figured starting with childhood was a good spot. Well, lets see how it goes. (c:

OK, and for sake of tradition, Legal Disclaimer: I don't own turtles.

It was rather warm for an October night, but not warm enough to be out doors without a jacket. A gentle wind would pick up every once in a while, but would die down almost as quick as it started. Central Park was illuminated with the lit lamp posts, and a young couple strolled hand in hand along the walk way, talking quietly. Listening carefully you could hear soft laughter, and a smile would appear on their bright faces. Their carefree walk was soon cut short, for soon heavy rain being to pour. Soon the streets we wet throughly and water was soon being drained into the sewers below.

The sound of the rain soon filled the sewers. It was a deafening sounds, making it impossible to hear anything. Yet, even with the powerful roaring, it had a peaceful tune to it. Something that drew Raph out into the sewers on nights like this. He knew he shouldn't be out. His father would be terrified if he knew Raph had been out here alone. There was something about this weather though that Raph couldn't resist. So with those thoughts pushed out of his mind, the five year old nestled into the shadows, and listened contently to the rain. Raph couldn't help but to smile when a few rain drops managed to drop onto his beak. A small giggle escaped his lips as he drew his blanket closer.

Splinter had found the blanket earlier that year when Raph had become ill. It was a soft, yellow blanket, obviously meant for a baby's crib. The young turtle didn't mind though. It had gotten him through the rest of the winter, keeping him warm as he slept those cold nights.

A sudden noise jolted Raph out of his thoughts. He jumped out of his spot and turned on the flashlight he had brought with him. Forgetting that he could be seen now by anybody would cared to peer down the gutter, Raph went in search of the sound. He couldn't help but allow a small whimper pass his lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure move suddenly. Raph whipped the flashlight in that direction and to his surprise saw his youngest brother, Michaelangelo, sitting there, blinking rapidly at the light now in his face.

"Mikey? What are you doing here?" Raph whispered in surprise, shutting the light off. He walked over and sat near his youngest brother. The littlest turtle held tightly to his teddy bear, his emerald eyes wide.

"I heard you sneakin' outta bed," Mikey answered, "I was curi'is about where you go."

Raph moaned, "Mike, Masta' Splinter is going to be really mad!"

Mikey's eyes got bigger and he grinned, "He don't havta know Raf, I won't tell."

Raph couldn't help but to smile at his younger bother. Mikey could be a pain in the tail, but Raph loved him none the less.

"So this where you go when you sneak out?" Mikey asked, looking up at his big brother. Raph looked at his brother in surprise. He knew?

"Yeah Mikey, but rememba', you can't tell Sensay." Raph stated as seriously as a five year old could managed. Mikey just shook his head vigorously.

"I won't even tell the others."

Raph smiled at the little turtle. "Alright Mikey, let's go home before Masta' Splinter finds out we've been gone."

Mikey just nodded again as Raph grabbed his blanket and flashlight. Quietly but swiftly, the two brothers stole away to their home and slipped into their beds, unknown to the other members in the lair.

The next morning, four young turtles scampered into the kitchen. They saw their sensei standing over the stove, busy with the making of their breakfast. Splinter looked over and smiled at the turtle tots.

"Good morning my sons," he began warmly, "Today I have a delightful treat for you." and with that being said, Splinter showed them a plate with pancakes on it. Each of the turtle's eyes widen. Pancakes were indeed a rare treat, and each turtle loved the taste of them.

"YAY!" Leo and Don exclaimed, jumping into their chairs. Although Raph didn't say anything, he was just as quick to get into his chair. While Splinter was grabbing plates for his sons, he notice Mikey walking sluggishly over to his chair, and then climbing onto it very slowly. Splinter wanted to dismissed this as the child just waking up, but the father in him couldn't help but to keep an eye on him.

Breakfast was soon in progress, and there was merry chatter among the table. Donny hummed happily has he munched on the breakfast good, and Leo and Raph giggled as the used their fingers to play with their syrup, only to find that the syrup would end up on each other's faces. Splinter, although laughing inwardly, scolded them gently and told them not to play with their food. He grabbed a wash cloth and wiped their faces clean, and both Leo and Raph continued to eat. It wasn't until Splinter was returning to his seat that he notice Mikey pushing his food around, a bite still needed to be taken. Splinter's brows furrowed as he looked at his youngest.

"Michaelangelo, are you not feeling well?"

The young turtle just shook his head no. Splinter went to go feel his son's forehead, and was alarmed to feel it burning to the touch.

"Come my son, it's back to bed." Said the rat softly as his pick up Mike. The poor young turtle then broke out into tears, and his father gently rubbed his back as he walked out of the room. This grabbed the other three children's attention, and all chatter had stop. It wasn't until Splinter was out of the kitchen that their voices had been found.

"Do you think Mikey is real sick?" Leo asked wide eyed. Leo knew that it was a question he could answer himself, but he hated the idea of anyone in his family being sick.

"Must be," Don began slowly, "Sensay put him right back to bed. Hey Raph, where ya goin'?

Raph had already slid off his chair and began to walk out of the kitchen. He just stopped long enough too look at his other little brother.

"I just wanna see if I can help Mikey."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello everyone! Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry it took so long to get it up! I've been busy with work and my summer project for school in the fall. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter up a little quicker. I'm also sorry about the confusion with the wrong spelling of Sensei. When I put in the ay instead of the ei, I was just trying to (in my mind at least) bring to life as much as possible the five year old speech. (c: Anywho, here's the next chapter! Enjoy

"Shhh, Michaelangelo, Shhhh" Splinter said soothingly, trying to comfort the small child. Poor Mikey hadn't stopped crying. All Splinter could do for the time being was to cradle his son and continue to rub his shell. He gently rocked back in forth in the rocking chair that sat in the boys' room. It sat idly for the most part of the day; but once the night time came, it suddenly took part in the night time ritual of bed time. Splinter would always keep a steady rocking rhyme as he read the four boys a story.

"Masta' Splinter?"

Splinter looked towards the doorway, only for it to reveal Raph. His soft brown eyes were large with concern; a trait so uncommon for the five year old. Even at such a young age the boy possessed such an apprehensive air about him. Splinter couldn't help but to smile. It indeed warmed his heart to see this rare pleasure.

"Yes Raphael?"

The toddler waddled over to his master and set his small hands on the arm rest, looking intently and seriously into his father's eyes, "Is Mikey ok?"

"I do not know my son." Splinter sighed, wrapping the blanket he had closer around Mikey, "He is very sick though."

Raph just nodded. He ascended himself up onto his tiptoes in order to get a better look at his little brother. Mikey had now fallen silent, but tears still streamed down his beak. He suddenly broke out into a harsh cough, which lasted for several moments. When the cough found fit to cease, a moan escaped from Mikey's lips. This scared Raph. He knew this wasn't any normal cold or flu. Splinter just held his son closer, his brow furrowing with great haste.

"What can I do to help?"

Leo and Donny still sat at the kitchen table, eating their breakfast. Though no words were spoken, you could tell the worry that filled both of their minds. Every once in a while, they'd share a concerned glance, only to look back down at their food and wait some more. They may have only been five, but they knew if _Raph _showed some concern there was something to really worry about.

"Leo?" Donny spoke softly, not even glancing up at his brother. Leo, fork in his mouth, just looked over and replied with a "Mmm?".

"Do you-"

However, before Donny could finish his sentence, Splinter walked in. Both of the tots fell silent and looked expectingly up at their Sensei. Splinter, as always, didn't allow his face to betray his emotions. He just smiled at his sons, even though underneath the mask he felt a painful bubble of concern for his youngest.

"Your brother is resting." Splinter told them, and left it at that. Donny just nodded, but Leo's curiosity got the better of him.

"Is he really, really sick Sensei?"

"I do not know how serious Michaelangelo's sickness is my son. We will have to wait to see what his condition is like later." Splinter stated. He started preparing an herbal tea, his deft paws moving swiftly over the necessarily implements and ingredients. Michaelangelo had devolved a bad cough, so Splinter hoped that the tea would help bring it down.

Donny was the next one to pipe up, "Where's Raph?"

"In your room keeping your brother company." Splinter looked over at his son. Donny had a fork in his hands and was absent mindedly rubbing his thumb over the prongs.

"How ya doing Mikey?" Raph asked. He sat on the bed next to his brother, trying to keep the blanket he had on top of him wrapped around as tightly as possible.

"M'kay" Mikey's response was weak. Poor Mikey's chest hurt, especially whenever he coughed. His cough also made his lungs feel like they were on fire. In short, Mikey tried not to move as much as possible. The young one's eye lids felt extremely heavy, and he wanted to go to sleep. Yet the room felt cold, making it hard for him to fall asleep. An involuntary shiver ran down Mikey's back, the movement hurting his chest. He let out another moan and tried to snuggle into his pillows farther than he already was.

Splinter entered into their room, carrying a small cup of tea in his paw. When he reached Mikey, he laid one paw on his forehead. Mikey was still burning to the touch. Splinter knew that if his fever didn't go down by night time, this would be a more serious illness than he first expected.

"Here Michaelangelo, you must try and drink this. It will help with the coughing."

The small turtle moaned at the thought, but attempted to sit up anyway. It hurt more doing that simple task then just coughing. More tears slid down his cheeks. Splinter, seeing his sons obvious discomfort, put his arm around his shell to give Mikey support. He helped his son drink down as much of the tea as possible, then helped him settle back into the comforts of his blankets.

"Try to sleep my son." Splinter suggested softly. He laid his paw on Mikey's head one more time, just for the sake of comfort. He looked up at Raph, who sat quietly waiting for instructions.

"Raphael, will you have a problem staying here by Michaelangelo's side? I wish to try and found out what his illness might be, but it means going to use the books that are in my room."

"Yeah Sensei, no problem." Raph replied, taking his seat next to his brother as before. Splinter smiled down at his son, then walked slowly out, looking back at Mikey several times.

Once their father had left the room, Mikey's body sent down another shiver. A few more tears and moans followed. Suddenly, something had been placed over Mikey's body. He lifted his head slightly to see Raph tucking his yellow blanket over him. Mikey's eyes widen at this.

"Raph," He rasped, looking up at his older brother, "Your blanket?"

"You need it more than I do." Raph said, sitting down next to his brother. Mikey allowed his head to rest in the pillows again. The extra blanket did give him the warmth he craved for, and soon Mikey had fallen asleep. Soft snores came from underneath the yellow cloth, and Raph just scooted closer to his little brother.

"I'm here for ya Mikey."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey guys! Thank you everyone who has been reviewing! It really helps motivate me to keep writing! Again, I'm sorry about the speed at which these chapters are coming up. I have the basic plot bunny for this whole story, but I'm trying to get as much as possible out of it, and a lot of it being created spontaneously as I go along. Anyway, here's chapter three!

Splinter's brow furrowed deep in concentration. He had been pouring over his books for a while now, yet none seem to be helping him any. Of course, he'd be better suited to find out what exactly his son had if Michaelangelo showed more symptoms. Right now, all Splinter could see was a deep cough and high fever. Trying to get anything out of his son was difficult. Mikey wasn't really up for talking with the exception of a few moans that would come from him once in a while. It was clear that the child was in pain, but until Splinter could identify that pain, all he could do was assume.

It'd also help if he had better books to study. Of course, living secretly in the sewers didn't allow for much option where reading material was concern. It didn't allow for much materials period. Splinter felt he couldn't be gone for too long without one of his sons wander or himself possible being seen by a human. It was even more nerve racking to think about going out at night once the boys were in bed. They were able to do a lot for themselves at five, but not defend themselves if need be. So with those fears stewing the on the back burning, it never gave Splinter much time to go out and savage. Who's to complain though when you have four young turtles and yourself that you must protect?

Splinter sighed and dropped his head into his hands. He was worried sick about Mikey. It would have been one thing if he was just running a temperature, or if he was slightly discomfortable. Yet, when the child is constantly crying because of the discomfort, you can't help but to worry. Splinter had a sneaking suspicion about what his youngest had, but he couldn't help but want to deny it.

_"Give it a little while longer." _he kept telling himself. If he waited a little while, maybe whatever this sickness was would just clear up and Mikey would be ok within the next few days. Yet, part of Splinter knew that if his suspicion was right, going very long without giving Mikey the proper care would certain leave them in a much worse spot.

"SENSAY!"

Raph stood still by the bed, his brown eyes wide. Mikey, who had been deep in sleep, suddenly woke up with a jolt. He leaned over the side where Raph wasn't sitting and began to heave. As if the sounds of the dry heaving wasn't enough to scare Raph, when Mikey settled back into his pillows, he breath had become rapid, like it was difficult for him to breathe.

What else could the five year old do except call for help?

Leo and Donny had already made it into the room. When he saw what was happening, Donny ran right out of the room, deciding that if Raph's yelling hadn't been enough, he was going to get his Sensei's attention. Leo on the other hand glued himself by Raph's side, taking in all of what has happening.

"What happen'd Raph?"

"I, I dunno! He just woke up all of a sudden and threw up. And now he's breathin' funny!"

Their conversation had gotten no further than that, because they felt two paws push them gently out of the way. Splinter sat down by his son's side, putting a paw on Mikey's brow. Donny came to stand with Leo and Raph, and they watched anxiously for their Sensei to say or do something.

"Leonardo, go get a bowl of cold water. Donatello, go fetch a clean wash cloth from the bathroom. Raphael, go get the extra blankets from my room."

The three boys wasted no time in following their father's instructions. They practically tramped over each other to just get out of the room.

Tears began to stream down Donny's face. He was scared. Never before had he seen any of his brothers or himself as sick as this.

Leo created such a huge ruckus in the kitchen trying to find a bowl, you'd thing that WWIII had kicked off. Once he had found the bowl, he got so much water on the floor that a fish could probably survive.

Raph was literally swimming in blankets. He grabbed every one he set his eyes on, and was soon dragging out at least a half a dozen blankets. He was rapidly chewing him bottom lip, trying to keep from crying. He had to be strong for his little brother.

Night time was settling in. The temperatures began to drop, the fall finally deciding to compromise with it's brother, winter. The clouds hung ominously above, fat and full with moisture. It wasn't too long before the streets of New York were drenched with water. A crisp smell arose into the night air. It was the kind of smell where you'd wrap your robe around you tighter, and smile softly as you sipped your tea.

No one in the sewers took notice to this though.

Mikey's breathing had finally returned to normal, his chest rising and dropping at a steady pace. He was asleep now, and by the looks of it, seemed it would be a while before he'd even stir. His lungs still ached, but the drowsiness that filled his eyes were even stronger.

Splinter wrung out the wash cloth that Donny had retrieved for him early. The cool drips of water rippled in the bowl, making tiny waves rock around. Folding the wash cloth in half, he placed it on Mikey's head. The young turtle's fever had still not broke, and there was no doubt in Splinter's mind what young Mikey had.

He was suffering from pneumonia.

"Sensay?" the small voice was so quiet, even Splinter's sensitive ears almost missed it. Splinter looked up to see Raph's head popping out from under a blanket. The boys had been in bed for about an hour now, yet it looked as if Raph hadn't even considered sleep yet. Splinter sighed.

"You should be asleep Raphael."

"I know, but I can't sleep." replied the little one, sitting up in his bed. He huddled in the blanket that had been covering him. This was the first time that Splinter had noticed the it wasn't the yellow blanket that he had given his son. He was even more surprised to see it on top of Mikey. Raph treasured that yellow blanket, and he never gave it up, _ever._ Yet, here it was, given to his youngest when he needed it most. Splinter could feel a tear of joy slipping down his cheek.

"Is Mikey gonna be ok?"

Splinter snapped his attention back to his son. The light in the room was dim, but he could see Raph's eyes, big and wide. It was amazing to see how much bigger they seemed once the bandanna had been discarded.

For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Splinter sighed again.

"It's hard to say Raphael." Splinter didn't really know what to say. That seemed like the safest answer to give. To say that he was going to be alright would seem horrid later if it proved to be wrong. Yet saying that it looked dismal would put the young child in distress.

"Do you know what he has?" came another question. Wasn't it Donny would was to ask the constant row of questions?

"An illness known a pneumonia my son."

"ne'moanya?" Raph cocked his head, stumbling over the word. Splinter smiled at his attempt.

"It can last for days, or many weeks. We won't be able to tell how well Michaelangelo is doing until the sickness progresses a little."

Raph nodded. Splinter watched as his second eldest seemed to drift off into an endless thought process.

"Come now Raphael, it's time for bed." Splinter rose and walked over to his son, to tuck him in again. Sleep seemed to now be calling the turtle, and he nestled down in his bed.

Splinter rocked quietly in the old chair, watching his littlest, scared to even let his gaze falter.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: What?! Allybethie is finally posting?! Sorry for such a long wait guys! I've been horrible, I know! Never fear though, I have not forgotten this story! Junior year proved to be more busy then I thought. :P. Anywho, thanks for being patience guys! Enjoy the next chapter!

"moanie'a?" Leo look at Raph, his eyebrows furrowing. They had finished their breakfast not too long ago, and now the three boys were playing quietly in the den before their morning practice. Raph had been spending the last few minutes recapping on his discussion with Splinter the night before.

"No!" Raph huffed, "ne'moanya!"

"nuh-moan-ya?" Leo repeated uncertainly. When Raph had assured him that he had pronounced it correctly, little Leo smiled slightly.

"How long did sensay say it would take for Mikey to get bet'er?" Donny asked. He had been fiddling with a few tinker toys that Splinter had found while out salvaging once. The building pieces often help Donny to calm down when he became upset, like after a fight with his brothers. It allowed him to focus on something else long enough for him to unconscientiously work through his current problem. Today however, it wasn't working.

"He sa'd he could be bet'er soon, or it could be a few weeks." Raph replied. Donny nodded at the response.

"Whatev'r it is, it's makin' Mikey really sick." Leo stated solmonly. The three boys just stared down in their hands.

"Come my sons."

Three small heads whipped towards the source of the voice. Splinter stood by the door way of their makeshift dojo. He had witness their conversation, and it broke his heart to see them this concerned. He wished he could tell them truthfully that their brother was going to be alright. He was afraid to give them false hope though, for fear of it being thrown back in their faces.

"Sensay," Donny got up and waddled slightly towards their father. Splinter knelt down, putting a paw on his son's shoulder.

"Yes Donatello?"

"Mikey... well... I mean..." Donny started to tug on the end of his bandanna. This was a sure sign that he wanted to cry. Splinter gently engulfed his son with his arms.

"Shhh, Donatello, it's ok to cry."

Mikey tossed and turned in his bed. He as tired as he was, he couldn't sleep. The uncomfortable temperature his body had reached had refrained him from doing so.

He rolled over onto his carapace and sighed. He winced as the breath left him. He moaned, beginning to feel very annoyed with this sick business.

"Mikey! You're wake!"

Mikey looked bleary eyed at Leo. His blue-banded brother had a ear-to-ear grin on his face, and in his arms he carried a few of their favorite puzzles. Mikey smiled, he loved puzzles.

"Hi Leo."

"How are you feeling?" Leo asked, walked up to his brother's bed.

Mikey coughed in response. Leo frowned, putting the puzzles on the floor, then climbing up onto the bed.

"Leo," Mikey's voice began to crack, his eyes full of tears, "I don't like being sick.

Leo pulled back the blankets and snuggled in with his brother. Although Mikey was hot, he was extremely glad to have the company.

"I know Mike, I know."

Raph looked at his brothers. They had both fallen asleep. If the situation hadn't been so serious, Raph would have gotten the camera their sensei had found and taken some leverage. Right now though, Raph was controlling his tears. He had to keep repeating to himself over and over in his head that boys didn't cry, especially him. Yet, the conversation with Splinter kept replaying in his mind. Splinter had mentioned that being out in the cold and in the rain could cause Mikey's illness.

Mikey had been out in the October rain not to long ago.

Raph bit his lip. This was all his fault.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So yeah, I rewrote the ending. After I posted it last night, I knew I wasn't happy with it. Then after getting a lovely review from Jessiy Landroz, I decided that I had to rewrite it. So, I hope you enjoy it!

The lair was quiet; something that was unusual for seven in the evening. The squealing and pitter-patter of feet had been replaced with a slightly audible hum from the fridge. No lights were shed, casting the small home in complete black. It wasn't a comfortable blackness however. Rather, it was tense and foreboding. It was evident what kind of strain the family had been put under.

Michaelangelo hadn't made any progress. He had been sick for nearly a week, and he now laid motionless in his bed. He hadn't eaten in days, his throat hurt too much to sallow. Even if he could choke down a few pieces of food, it wouldn't remain in his stomach for long. To get him to drink water, Splinter had been putting chips of ice into his mouth; reading stories to him until the pieces had melted.

As much as it stung, Splinter had to come to terms that he son would most likely not make it. Splinter moved the small one out of the children's room and into his own bed, not wishing for his brothers to wake up one morning and find him gone.

Splinter sighed sorrowfully as he looked over Michaelangelo. Sweat accumulated on his brow, and the burning fever with he had started out with was now scorching. Splinter knew that if Michaelangelo had been a human child, he couldn't have possible survive with this kind of temperature. He hypothesized that his mutation probably had something to do with Michaelangelo withstanding it. Yet, the child was suffering, and Splinter wished desperately that fate would make up it's mind, and end his son's pain.

The rat rocked back and forth in his chair, tears stinging the corners of his eyes.

Raphael sat up abruptly, waking up from his sallow sleep. A small whimper escaped his lips as he looked around his room, pondering on the time of night. Not that he had any really sense of time, other than the fact that it was way too late for him to be up.

Opposite of him sat Leonardo's bed. The night light that dimly illuminated their room allowed Raphael to see the sleeping form of his brother. Leo's shell faced the ceiling, rising up and down in a gentle breathing pattern. Next to Leonardo's bed was Donatello's. His quiet younger brother was curled in a tight ball, his left arm tightly squeezing a stuffed rabbit, while his right thumb was placed in his mouth, hanging slightly from Donny's bottom lip. Donatello was slightly embarrassed about his thumb sucking habit, seeing where he was still the only one of the four boys who hadn't grown out of it.

On the wooden end of their beds, the light cast a bright enough glow so Raphael could see the name etchings. One time when the four boy's had been watching _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_, they saw the same time of etchings on the Dwarf's beds. Since they couldn't read, they asked their father what the words were. Splinter explained to them that they had their names written on each of their beds, as a way to sort of personalize them. The four turtles thought that that was so cool, they asked Splinter if they could do the same time. Not too long after that, each turtle child soon had their names on their own beds. Michaelangelo like his so much, that he ask Splinter if he could paint over his name and give it a bit of color.

Raph remember watching his father and brother working on the project together. Splinter held Mikey's hand, who held the paint brush, and together the painted over the letters with a bright orange. Raphael remember the smile his little brother had. He was as proud as could be.

Raphael sniffed. Rubbing the end of his beak, he began wondering if Mikey was ever going to get better.

Suddenly, Raphael peeled back his bed covers and quietly got out of his bed. Tip toeing across the floor towards the makeshift door, Raphael pushed it open, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Ten minutes later, Raphael was in his Sensei's room, a bowl of water in his hands. He had over filled the bowl, and it sloshed over every few steps. By the time they he had reach the bedside, Raphael had a trail of water leading back to the kitchen. Standing by the bed, Raph bend over and put the bowl on the floor, his pink tongue pressed against his upper lip in concentration. When he had got the bowl safely to the floor, he stood up and looked over to his Sensei, The child was slightly surprised that his father hadn't woken up at any of his movements.

Shrugging it off, he bend back down and grabbed the cloth that floated idly in the bowl. Wringing it out, he pressed it against his brother's forehead, wiping aways the drops of sweat. He had seen Sensei do the same thing earlier, before he took Raphael out of the room and ordered him to bed. He looked up to the side table that stood by his Sensei's chair, and the same bowl of water was still there. Raph would have used that instead of making a mess getting a new bowl, but he didn't want to wake up his father either.

Focusing his attention back on his brother, Raphael worried that Mikey hadn't even stirred against the cool drops. Dipping the rag back in the bowl, he started wringing it out again when a voice startled him.

"Raphael, what are you doing?"

Raphael jumped and faced Splinter, who looked at him with gentle eyes. The child looked as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Suddenly, Raphael broke out into tears. Surprised by the boy's reaction, Splinter jumped up and grabbed the child into his arms, cradling him close. Shushing him quietly, he whispered into his child's ear, "It's alright Raphael."

"No it's not Sensay!" the child hiccuped, sobbing at full throttled now "It's all my fault!"

Splinter rubbed the back of his shell with his paw "What is my son?"

"That Mikey is sick! You said that he got ne'moanya by being in the rain! Well, I sometimes sneak out at night with my yellow blanket and watch the night rain, and he followed me the last time I was out, and he was without any kinda blanket, and I gots him back as quickly as I could and, and, and..."

"That is enough my son," Splinter replied quietly. The rat looked at Raphael for a few moments, brewing over what his son had just shared.

"Although I'm disappointed that you have been sneaking out, I am glad that you have told me this" Splinter paused to let this little bit sink into his son's head before continuing, "But I also want you to know that it isn't your fault that Michaelangelo is sick. He knows just as well as you do that he shouldn't go out of the lair without me. Especially at night." Splinter hugged the child again, "You have learned an importantly lesson I hope my son."

Raphael nodded against Splinter shoulder. Splinter would let this go unpunished, seeing where he had already been through quite the scare. Being scare, Splinter mused, is probably the better teacher than any kind of punishment.

"Now, would you like to sit here with your brother?"

"Yesh" he whispered, wiping a few tears off his beak.

XXXXXX

Raph jumped suddenly, hearing a fit of coughs errupting in the room. The next thing he knew, he was being set on the floor gently and the rocking chair behind him began squeaking. A groggy feeling filled his eyes, and indication of sleep leaving them. The child looked upwards, seeing Splinter sitting on the side of the bed.

Scrambling to his feet, Raphael's eyes met with his coughing little brother. Splinter, with wet rag in hand, was dabbing his son's forehead.

"Michaelangelo? Can you hear me my son?"

Mikey nodded, his bright pink tongue hanging out of his mouth has the coughs ripped themselves out of his mouth. Although they were rough, the coughing fit didn't seem to give his son as much trouble as the last few times. Splinter took a hand to the child's brow, and to his surprise, it felt slightly cooler than before.

"Masta' Splinter?" a tugging came at the end of Splinter's garment. Looking down, he saw his second eldest staring up at him with wide eyes, "Is Mikey a'right?"

The aging rat smiled down at Raphael. Bending down to pick him up, he simply explained "Although he still is quite sick, I do believe your brother is getting better."

"Really?" Raph whispered excitedly. He took a brief glance at Mikey before he began trying to jump out of his father's arms, "I gotta go tell Leo and Donny!"

"Not now." Splinter said, gripping to his small son "Michaelangelo still needs to sleep as well as your other brothers."

"Aww, ok." Raph pouted, crossing his arms against his plastron.

"Sensay?" Mikey croaked. His voice sounded cracked and raspy, apparent that he hadn't used it very much in the last week.

"Yes my son?"

"M'thirsty." simply stated the five year old.

"I shall go get you some water." Splinter replied, setting Raph on the bed next to Mikey "Sit with your brother please."

After Splinter left the room, Raph looked past the door way for a few moments. He then crawled over to the free space left on the bed, pulled back the covers, and nestled next to his little brother.

"Hey Mikey?"

"Yea?"

"I love ya."


End file.
